In a ceremony at its Odense Steel Shipyard, the A.P. Moller--Maersk Group has now named its newbuilding no. L 203 as EMMA MAERSK. A Maersk press release describes the ship as "the world's largest container vessel" and quotes its TEU capacity as 11,000 TEU.

Maersk has traditionally calculated container capacity more conservatively than anyone else. According to one non-official source, the ship has a length of 396 m and breadth of 55.9 m.

The newbuilding is named after Mr Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller's late wife, Emma, who passed away in December last year.

Maersk says the EMMA MAERSK will "set new standards for safety and environment. Environmentally friendly silicone paint covers the hull of the vessel below the waterline--reducing water resistance and cutting the vessel's fuel consumption by 1,200 tonnes per year."

The vessel is powered by a 14-cylinder Wartsila RT-flex diesel engine that develops 110,000 BHP.